the lowdown: I Wanna Be Your Dog | NE 18th & Alberta | Dinner/Late Night (Tues-Sun 6pm-2:30am) | Dogs $2 - $5 | *****
One dark cold Sun nite I visited the hole in the wall hot dog shop. Super good veg dogs. Don’t go if from grshm, owners like hoodsters only.
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post dedicated to the clumsy kid
the lowdown: Mash Tun | 2204 NE Alberta St., #101, Portland, OR 97211 | 503.548.4491 | Lunch, Dinner | Entrees $7 - $11 | ****
Beer and (vegan) Burgers!
After a day filled with cleaning house, pedicures, volunteering for the Obama Campaign and biking all over town to attend these engagements, there’s nothing better than a decompression over burgers. Fully decompressing with all the political news this week has been extremely difficult. The notion that the McCain/Palin ticket could win the election and run our country frightens me to no end. I wish there was more I could do.
Mash Tun is unfortunately one of the least talked about brewpubs in town. Just off the beaten path of Alberta it offers an exceptional patio, laid back atmosphere, and most importantly ample vegan options. From hummus and tempeh things (fried tempeh with BBQ sauce) as appetizers to two house made burgers choices, BLT, and falfel, you will not be left out. I choose the Veggie Burger ($8.25) composed of oats and veggies with a side of fries. The difficulty in making vegan burgers is that they are difficult to bind without eggs, but I applaud Mash Tun for their continued effort to offer a great vegan burger, despite the fact that it slightly breaks apart after a few bites. Other places would have given up long ago or thrown us a bone with a Boca Burger. We all know that Portland is one of the rare places where vegans can eat out every night, people prefer bikes over cars, and most everyone supports the liberal lifestyle. I often forget that Portland is not representive of the rest of Oregon, or even America. We need to do something more, I know I plan to.
the lowdown: Bye and Bye | 1011 NE Alberta, Portland, OR 97211 | 503.281.0537 | Lunch, Dinner, Happy Hour | Food Items $5 - $8 | *****
Alberta Street bar with stiff bevys and righteous vegan food!
The Alberta hood is known for their restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, and most definitely Last Thursday. This is the part of town where you can dine on vegan biscuits and gravy, gaze at countless varieties of art, buy a rain barrel then grab a beer before heading home. I visit quite regularly and most recently rallied to my next door neighborhood to hang with a pal at the notorious Bye and Bye. We ate, we laughed, we people watched, but this was after feeling completely out of place with only two tats.
Want to know what happens when 6 guys open up shop on lower Alberta street offering stiff drinks, vegan grub, and an atmosphere derived from their bare hands? Nothing other then legions of folks lined up just to get inside! Nevermind the vegan food, these cats go because it is the place to be! We were there to eat and damn do they have a great menu! Previously I have had the BBQ Veggie “Chicken” which was a plate of grilled tofu, beans, and collard greens. During my last visit I ordered the Meatball Sub and my dining partner had the Weepying Tiger sandwhich.With each menu item you have the choice of a side, tofu, greens, tortilla chips, black-eyed peas, and broccili. I choose the tofu because it is crusted with nutrtional yeast and tastes better then french fries! Be aware that the food is spicy, messy (meatball sub anyway), and damn good. I need to start going more often, despite my shortage of hipster traits!
the lowdown: Fuel Cafe | 1452 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR 97211 | 503.335.3835 | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | $4 - $6.60 | ***
More than just coffee?
Although I’m not sure what it is, there is something novel about going to a coffee shop to read. Perhaps it’s the fact that I can sit there for hours sipping coffee I didn’t have to make and when I’m hungry, I simply place my order and continue sipping coffee until the food is served. There are a few drawbacks. The music is controlled by the employees and the food prices are at a premium. My guess is that they factor in the countless hours the customers are occupying a table into their prices.
When I don’t want to curl up to my Wall Street Journal at home, I’ll rally to a nearby coffee shop and a few weekends ago Fuel Cafe was the chosen one. I patronized Fuel because I had vague recollection they had a few vegan friendly menu items and I wanted to ensure I had some choices when I started getting hungry after reading the Marketplace section. In addition to Coffee, Fuel Cafe offers light breakfast items (bagels, baked goods) and sandwiches. As for the sandwiches, there are three choices, the Basil Vegan ($6.60), Hummus ($6), and Grilled Vegan ($6.60). Since I am always game for something grilled I choose the Grilled Vegan equipped with vegan cream cheese, basil, spinach, roasted red peppers and marinated mushrooms & red onions. Although chips are pictured, I ordered a green salad which added $2.50 to the price. The meal coupled with a soy latte totaled a steep $12 for something I could have whipped up at home. These prices are certainly not unique to Fuel Cafe, however, I expect a bit more novelty for the price. A simple reminder that I should really be sure I am too lazy to make a sandwich at home before going just any old place for one.
the lowdown: Whole Bowl | 1100 NW Glisan, Portland, OR 97209, Last Thursday on Alberta, and other locations| 503.757.2695 | Website |Bowls $5.50 - $6.50 | Lunch | *****
Quick & Super Healthy!
Now that I have a house 3x the size of my condo, I have an embarrassing amount of bare wall space. The best place to procure local art at a reasonable price is quite simply Alberta Street’s Last Thursday. For those who are either not from Portland or completely in the dark on what’s going on in this great city, Last Thursday is a year round “art walk” that occurs the last Thursday of every month. Local artists, jewelers, and everyone else gather to sell clothing, accessories, art, sculpture, food, and other great stuff. Unfortunately for me, my boyfriend and I can’t agree on anything to hang on our walls but we did snag an amazing dinner at Whole Bowl.
The Whole Bowl is a food cart that has several locations throughout Portland and a traveling van for special occasions. Word is the Whole Bowl is a permanent fixture in Last Thursday’s street of endless food options. Last month they were located between 24th & 25th near the strawberry lemonade stand. A Whole Bowl by default includes brown rice, sour cream, olives, avocado, cilantro, Tali sauce, cheddar cheese, salsa, black beans, and red beans. The cheese and sour cream can be easily dropped for a vegan version. Tali sauce is a lemon-garlic sauce that has been known as “crack sauce”. This combination of ingredients makes an excellent lunch or dinner and won’t break the bank.
the lowdown: Vita Cafe | 3024 NE Alberta, Portland, OR | 503.335.8233 | Website | Entrees $4.50 - $9.75 | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | *****
Many veg options and free-range meats.
Have you tried Chacha‘ing yourself lately? You know, the new service that allows you to text message 242242 with any question and a real person will respond within 5 minutes? While waiting for my meal this morning at Vita Cafe I did just that and was severely underwhelmed with the response “Megan Kielman is a Windows System Manager in Portland”. I had high expectations of Internet greatness but it’s alright, especially since I had fantastic brunch, something I haven’t had in quite some time!
For the best Vita Cafe experience visit for a breakfast meal (served until 4pm) where you will have a choice of pancakes, french toast, biscuits and gravy, scrambles and more. In addition to the vegan choices they offer free range meats, cheese, and eggs, making it a perfect spot for those of us whose regular dining partners aren’t of the vegan variety. I kicked my meal off with a cup of Stumptown coffee and soy milk, followed by the “New Year’s Breakfast” ($8), a plate of steamed veggies, fried seasoned tofu, and a choice of corn cakes or french toast. We also split the full order of biscuits with almond gravy ($5). Food comas aside, Vita Cafe is one hell of a place. To avoid a wait, arrive before 11am!
the lowdown: Alleyway Cafe & Bar | 2415 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR 97211 | 503.287.7760 | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Happy Hour | Items $5 - $8.50 | ***
Chill out with some options.
I had been to Alleyway Cafe once before. It was a Friday night, the place was hopping, and the folks sitting immediately behind us were obnoxiously intoxicated and so loud we couldn’t hear ourselves think! I had my eye on the veggie burger but we opted to leave before our eardrums popped. Luckily this weekend I had another chance to go and let me say that the morning after at Alleyway is much different. Get there before 11am and you will be the only kids there!
Alleyway Cafe is the former Local Beet in an aluminum covered building with an expansive covered outdoor seating. The dining room is very minimal offering a no frills dining experience with local art being the only noticeable decor. The menu is a quick read with one vegan option, however, the server offered to sub tofu in any of the other dishes. The $7 scramble, made of Kalamata olives, spinach, and tomatoes, was well, just a basic scramble. Although the potatoes were darn crispy and good, the entire portion was rather small. I found myself reaching for the menu to order something else! Needless to say, Alleyway is a fine choice if you are in the area looking for food with friends think Vita Cafe is too hippie, otherwise, go to Vita.
the lowdown: Star E Rose Cafe | 2403 NE Alberta St., Portland, OR 97211 | 503.249.8128 | Breakfast, Lunch | Items $1.50 - $4.95 | ***
Casual, cheap, fun!
No more neighborhood envy for me because Alberta is less than a 10 minute bike trip away! With so many great restaurants at my fingertips, I can hardly stand it! Last Sunday, I was looking for something casual and Star E Rose has always caught my eye. Turns out it is the perfect place to dine cheaply and enjoy unexpected entertainment. There is nothing more refreshing than sipping coffee while enjoying an older hippie couple play the kazoo, wood saw, and cow bell while singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.
At Star E Rose you have a breakfast and lunch choice, in addition to smoothies and baked goods. You only get one refill of coffee though so either drinking sparingly or bring some quarters (refills are $.50!). I ordered the “Vegan Veggie Scramble” which was a shocking $4.95 and packed a punch comparable to many of the other fabulous scrambles I have experienced. The scramble includes fresh veggies, fruit, and toast. I would say this is the cheapest scramble I’ve had in Portland! The service is friendly and casual, the scene is eccentric and fun. With only a few bucks in your pocket, this is a great way to start your day!
the lowdown: Francis | 2338 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211 | 503.288.8299 | Website | Breakfast, Lunch, Dessert | Items $5 - $10.50 | ****
Vegan and gluten free section on the menu.
After a seemingly long and grueling effort to find a house, the digs of our dreams awaits us in Irvington! Wait? Irvington?! During the initial phase of the house search I had a severe case of tunnel vision, however, a drive through the Irvington hood cured me and we are moving the beginning of April! Part of my affinity to the Hawthorne district is its bike access to downtown, so before we made our final decision about said house, we timed our ride from downtown, and followed it with a fantastic brunch at Francis! I will be getting to work in 15 minutes and live incredibly close to Alberta’s vast offering of great food!
Formerly an after hours destination, Francis is an unassuming joint on Alberta that offers a variety of free range meat and eggs, as well as a 5 item vegan and gluten free section on the menu. I’ve been told by the locals that these items are a new addition since their opening in 2006. Although it was a difficult decision, I went for “Christine’s Benedict” over the biscuits & gravy or the waffles. The benedict was excellent but I’m not sure what made it a benedict as it was a nothing more than a biscuit drenched in almond gravy. The service was a bit disconnected in that another two person party was seated prior to us, although they arrived after us. I also noticed that we received our food long before two other tables did who had been seated when we arrived. Nonetheless, I am excited to make this another of my future regular Alberta spots!
the lowdown: Zaytoon | 2236 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211 | 503.284.1168 | Website | Dinner, Late Night | Items $3 - $9
The original chef was vegan so most of the menu items have a vegan base making modifications possible.
After making a couple hops on a Friday night trying to find a place to go for good eats without the noisy bar scene, we arrived at Zaytoon. Tucked in the back corner booth my friends and I were able to grub and begin our long needed catch up session.
I ordered the house made spicy veggie burger accompanied by a side salad with tangy vinaigrette. I was very impressed but received sad news shortly after my first bite that they were contemplating adding egg to the veggie burger mixture to help with the binding. Sad news for me but very sweet of the waitress to warn me.
